What are people's thoughts on the Mustang Mach e?

[Billbrown1982]

I personally really like the look of the Mach-E and it was a real contender for me, especially as I was reluctant to give up on my SUV vehicles and the Y is not available over here yet.

But when I started looking into it properly, I found that I couldn't justify pretty much the exact same price for the full spec Mach-E vs the Full Spec LR Model 3, with all the extra features that Tesla comes with, sentry mode, supercharging, etc etc.

Also after speaking to some ford sales reps, it looks like regular "servicing" is still going to be a thing that is heavily pushed, especially on finance/lease customers.

I found that I loved the outside styling and really liked the interior because it looked "like a Tesla" ...

Well in that case, why not just get a Tesla - which is what I did. Do wish I had the Model S dash screen though....that is what I'm going to miss the most I reckon.

Plus, didn't want that whole debate of people with "but its not a mustang" ....

 

[Foucault]

The latest issue of Top Gear magazine has a comparison between the model Y performance and the Mach e (in the US the are about the same price) and while they rate the Mach e they think the model Y is the better car. Here’s another review where the do seem to like it

 

[15Peter20]

This too might be worth a watch. I haven’t checked his claims and they may not be particularly relevant to you anyway Glan. He’s a Tesla fanboy so is nitpicking a fair bit too.

Personally I’d be tempted to wait for the Berlin MY which should be a big step forward. The 4680 packs should be pretty special, again depends on its relevance to you of course.

 

[Latibes]

Mach E is a good looking car, and I can see why it might do very well. Doesn't compare favourably with Tesla for performance and range. I think Tesla FSD looks more promising as well

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Probably worth listing the things that are important for me, and the things that are less important, as these will influence my decision, and some of them have arisen as a consequence of a bit over a year of Tesla ownership. No doubt everyone will have a different priority order for features, mine is a consequence of years of plug-in car driving, plus our retired life style:

“Must have” requirements

• Real world range of between 200 and 250 miles
• Comfortable seating
• Clearly displayed key information
• Easy to use controls, with tactile feedback, (can be used without visual confirmation)
  
• Quiet inside at normal speeds
• Good build quality
• High reliability
  
• One-pedal driving
• Reliable cruise control
• Brisk performance (0 – 60mph ~ 5s to 7s)
  
• Rear view camera system
• Good quality interior trim
• Easy to access boot storage (at least two large suitcases)

“Nice to have” requirements

• Overall width < 1,900mm, narrower is better
  
• Overall length < 4,750mm
• Reasonably good infotainment system, (doesn’t need to be top notch, must have good radio)
• Decent looking external design
• Reasonable amount of practical cockpit storage space
• Price under £60k on the road
• Built-in dash cam capability
• Ability to fit a tow bar for a bike rack

Least important requirements

• Access to a specific DC rapid charge network (rarely ever use this)
• Over the air updates
• “Driver assist” functions (other than cruise control)
• Rear seat space(rarely carry anyone in the back)
  
• Phone connectivity and features
• Energy efficiency (as long as range is met, electricity use doesn’t matter much)
• Low servicing requirement

 

[Peteski]

Mach E is a good looking car

Not convinced about that at all. Styling looks pretty dubious and contrived to me. But I’ve never been a fan of legacy retro styling like the Mini, Beetle etc. I prefer originality and forward thinking, which is probably why I’m drawn to Tesla. The last thing I want is a cutting edge EV that looks like it was styled in the mid 70s! May as well get the matching haircut and some flared jeans to match....

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I'm in two minds about the external styling. In some colours it looks sort of OK, in other colours it doesn't. It's definitely not as good looking as the Model 3 or Y, and I'd rather it didn't have the pretend grill. Mind you, I owned a BMW i3 for a year, so I'm used to weird external styling!

It's the interior I'd want to have a close look at, it looks pretty good in all the reviews, but there's no substitute for seeing the car for real and sitting in it to see whether the materials used are really OK. Ideally, I'd like a car with the Tesla exterior styling, but with a clear and easy to use driver display and key controls that can be used by touch alone, without needing to take my eyes off the road for longer than absolutely necessary.

The things that tend to want me to keep the Tesla are the performance and the external look of the car, it really is a lovely looking car. Sadly, the list of things that annoy me about it seems to be growing, and are now reaching the point where I'm not sure I can put up with the car any more.

I've never been happy with the really intrusive road noise, it's far and away the noisiest car (above about 45mph) I've owned in years, and I wasn't expecting a £50k+ car to be this loud. I've spent ages trying to make it quieter, as have the SC, but it's apparently as good as it's ever going to get.

Something I just cannot get used to with the Tesla is the absence of tactile feedback from controls that need to be used regularly, like the wipers. I've actually had to pull over and stop to turn the wipers on or off a few times, as trying to do it from the screen when driving means looking at the screen for too long, IMHO (if the auto wipers worked this might not be such an issue).

The inability to use cruise control for speed limiting, without it throwing a wobbly, sounding alarms, slamming on the brakes, etc, has been a constant annoyance, and one that shows no signs of going away.

There are a few other winter niggles, like the cold air that gets blown over my feet from time to time, with the heater on, the lack of a heated steering wheel and the poor night time rear visibility when reversing up our drive (which might, in part, be due to the dipping side mirrors).

Finally, there is the inconsistency in the way the car behaves from one software update to the next. Most of the time the things that break when this happens are just minor annoyances, but the latest changes, particularly the speed display shift so that I now cannot see it properly when driving (it's hidden from view now, behind my left hand), is a more serious issue, especially at night (for some reason the display is less clear for me in night mode). I'm getting fed up with the emphasis on adding things like more computer games to the car, rather than sorting out the significant driving safety issues the car has. I couldn't care less about computer games, the first and last time I played one was "Dungeons and Dragons", on a PDP11, using a teleprinter for text-only IO. . .

 

[Spacep0d]

You understand GM and Ford are not the same company, right? And the landscape is very different now than it was in the mid 90’s.

Oof, apparently I didn't. I guess in my mind the American auto makers were kind of one and the same and some amalgamation of slow-moving status quo, and all worked together to suck so hard that the Japanese automakers swooped in to take up the slack in the 70s and 80s. The American auto makers dragged their feet when it came to EVs and yes, GM killed the EV-1. This is why I hadn't bought American...ever...until I bought a Tesla in 2020.

I stand corrected though. Ford is not GM! Funny enough, I even watched 'Ford vs. Ferrari' and thoroughly enjoyed it. I should have known better.

My other criticism of the Mach-E stands!

 

[Spacep0d]

There are a few other winter niggles, like the cold air that gets blown over my feet from time to time, with the heater on, the lack of a heated steering wheel and the poor night time rear visibility when reversing up our drive (which might, in part, be due to the dipping side mirrors).

Why not disable mirror-dip at home and rely on your reverse camera more? I'm guessing you've tried this perhaps? I've disabled the mirror dip at home as I only really want this option when I'm parallel parking. For that it's quite amazing.

 

[pdk42]

Probably worth listing the things that are important for me, and the things that are less important, as these will influence my decision, and some of them have arisen as a consequence of a bit over a year of Tesla ownership. No doubt everyone will have a different priority order for features, mine is a consequence of years of plug-in car driving, plus our retired life style:

“Must have” requirements

• Real world range of between 200 and 250 miles
• Comfortable seating
• Clearly displayed key information
• Easy to use controls, with tactile feedback, (can be used without visual confirmation)
  
• Quiet inside at normal speeds
• Good build quality
• High reliability
  
• One-pedal driving
• Reliable cruise control
• Brisk performance (0 – 60mph ~ 5s to 7s)
  
• Rear view camera system
• Good quality interior trim
• Easy to access boot storage (at least two large suitcases)

“Nice to have” requirements

• Overall width < 1,900mm, narrower is better
  
• Overall length < 4,750mm
• Reasonably good infotainment system, (doesn’t need to be top notch, must have good radio)
• Decent looking external design
• Reasonable amount of practical cockpit storage space
• Price under £60k on the road
• Built-in dash cam capability
• Ability to fit a tow bar for a bike rack

Least important requirements

• Access to a specific DC rapid charge network (rarely ever use this)
• Over the air updates
• “Driver assist” functions (other than cruise control)
• Rear seat space(rarely carry anyone in the back)
  
• Phone connectivity and features
• Energy efficiency (as long as range is met, electricity use doesn’t matter much)
• Low servicing requirement

Apart from performance, the ID4 would tick all your other “must have” requirements and most of your “nice to haves”.

 

[bruce4000]

To me, if you need the car to do road trips in Western US (like me), no matter how nice the car, non Tesla SUper Chargers just don’t cut it. My brother got stuck having to stay an extra night on a road trip because the EA charger wouldn’t charge his Bolt (worked at some locations not other).

 

[pgkevet]

Why not disable mirror-dip at home and rely on your reverse camera more? I'm guessing you've tried this perhaps? I've disabled the mirror dip at home as I only really want this option when I'm parallel parking. For that it's quite amazing.

European rules mean we swap one reversing light for a rear fog-light and reversing at night in rural places with no light pollution is a PITA between hazard flashes and constant checks that the front is following the back/ It's common for me to have to reverse 200yds up a single track lane to find a passing bay and let some farmer with a trailer get by - even in daylight it's a pain when you can't just twist round and see out the back. Just using the rear camera reversing round bends etc and it's quite possible to sideswipe the front against a hedge without repeated checks....

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Why not disable mirror-dip at home and rely on your reverse camera more? I'm guessing you've tried this perhaps? I've disabled the mirror dip at home as I only really want this option when I'm parallel parking. For that it's quite amazing.

The dipping mirrors are great, really good for seeing the edge of our curved drive in daylight, (I meant to type "dimming" originally). It's the dimming bit that's the problem at night, they seem to stay dimmed for too long when in reverse, so the side mirror view is darker than it should be, especially as we only have one reversing light on UK models. There's no option to disable night time dimming on the side mirrors, AFAIK.

Apart from performance, the ID4 would tick all your other “must have” requirements and most of your “nice to haves”.

Yes, it would. I suspect it's going to be late arriving here though, and given the issues VW have had with the ID.3 I'd want to be reasonably sure it's sorted before ordering one. There still seem to be software bugs in the early LHD production ID.4s, according to some reviews.

To me, if you need the car to do road trips in Western US (like me), no matter how nice the car, non Tesla SUper Chargers just don’t cut it. My brother got stuck having to stay an extra night on a road trip because the EA charger wouldn’t charge his Bolt (worked at some locations not other).

I don't have a need to drive more than about 200 to 250 miles in a day, and then only when we go on holiday. Being in the UK, road trip distances tend to be a bit lower than for those in other countries. The non-Tesla rapid charging network here is getting better, after a shaky start, although it is still lagging behind a bit. The Model 3 is my second pure EV, and like the BMW i.3 I had before, I've never had a need to charge on route somewhere, I've always only charged at home or at a destination. Destination charging has been easy. everywhere we've stayed over the past 7 years of plug-in car ownership has offered some form of destination charging, and it's never been a problem to just charge the car up overnight when away.

 

[rincewind]

I'm with Glan on his view regarding the Model 3 taking a backward step software wise. I'm also in agreement regarding the noise levels - the worst aspect of the car imo. I've pretty much decided that if Tesla change the screen layout to that of the FSD early videos (or something similar), where the visualisations cover two thirds of the screen, then the car will be gone. Why on earth do they need to show what the car is 'seeing' anyway? If the car can do FSD, then the whole point is that the driver (or person in the car), doesn't need to know the details, just lets the car get on with it.

 

[Spacep0d]

European rules mean we swap one reversing light for a rear fog-light and reversing at night in rural places with no light pollution is a PITA between hazard flashes and constant checks that the front is following the back/ It's common for me to have to reverse 200yds up a single track lane to find a passing bay and let some farmer with a trailer get by - even in daylight it's a pain when you can't just twist round and see out the back. Just using the rear camera reversing round bends etc and it's quite possible to sideswipe the front against a hedge without repeated checks....

Wow, challenging situation!

 

[Tall_Ross]

I quite like it, obviously looks are subjective.
I priced one online and it was working out more expensive then the 3 LR I ended up getting.
I am loving the LR a lot but can definitely see the appeal of the Mach E!
The best thing is to go out there and try these cars and see what you think (tricky I know at the moment)
I have no brand loyalty, I love cars and try to get something I fancy at the time. I have had some stinkers and some gems!
I find it a little sad when people get very aggressive about other brands, yes this is a Tesla forum but you are allowed to like other manufacturers.
I personally think at the moment the more good quality EV’s we have on the market the better. This will hopefully drive down the price and the increase in numbers on the road may help with Wild West of public charging out there!

 

[mrobins64495]

External styling is a yes.

interior is no. I’m not keen on any Ford interiors tbh, they always look and feel cheap.

Range is ok, but the battery is bigger so will cost more to charge and highlight the inefficiency.

I did seriously consider it, but would I pay £50k for a Ford. Probably not.

 

[MadScientist]

I had a look at one last year in Southampton and I would say the outer build quality was good but inner typical Ford (however, it was a pre-production model I was looking at). It had some nice features like pot-hole avoidance and also good practical load space. I think it’s expensive compared to the Model 3 and I couldn’t justify paying more for a RW drive model compared to an AWD Tesla. Also, no SC network.

 

[MXLRplus]

If cellphone integration including text and email is important to you, any of the Fords is superior to any of the Teslas at this time.

 

[pdk42]

Yes, it would. I suspect it's going to be late arriving here though, and given the issues VW have had with the ID.3 I'd want to be reasonably sure it's sorted before ordering one. There still seem to be software bugs in the early LHD production ID.4s, according to some.

I’d be amazed if the early ID4s don’t continue to have software problems since it’s the same software as the ID3 and that’s still not really production ready yet. I think by the middle of this year things should be a lot better. But IMHO the worst aspect of the ID series is the UI in the infotainment. Even if all the bugs were gone, it’s still a very old feeling system that has poor usability. I don’t understand how they managed to build a clean sheet design with such an awful approach to the tech interface. Given that Tesla were the target competitor, it’s an even stranger decision.